هذا ما هو عليه
hādhā mā huwa 'alayh
The English phrase "it is what it is" is translated into Arabic as هذا ما هو عليه (hādhā mā huwa 'alayh).
This phrase is used to express that a situation has its own inherent nature.
Meaning: this thing has its own nature (phrase)
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the masculine pronoun هو (he/it), which is the standard way to refer to an abstract situation or an inanimate object in this construction.
How do you pronounce it?
hādhā mā huwa 'alayh
Did you know?
- While هذا ما هو عليه is a literal translation, speakers often use the phrase قدر الله وما شاء فعل to express the same sentiment of resignation.
- The grammatical structure of using هو in this specific way may have been influenced by the European concept of the neuter 'it', such as the German 'Es' or Latin 'id'.
- In many spoken dialects, instead of using a long phrase, a person might simply say بسيطة ('simple') accompanied by a shrug to dismiss a problematic situation.
Examples in context
- هذا ما هو عليه الأمر الآن.hadha ma huwa 'alayhi al-amr al-an.This is what it is right now.
Example conversation
Two friends discussing a difficult project result.
- أحمد Ahmedالنتيجة ليست كما توقعنا يا سارة.Al-natija laysat kama tawaqqa'na ya Sara.The result is not what we expected, Sara.
- سارة Saraنعم، ولكن هذا ما هو عليه الآن.Na'am, walakin hadha ma huwa 'alayh al-an.Yes, but it is what it is now.
- أحمد Ahmedهل يمكننا إصلاح الخطأ؟Hal yumkinuna islah al-khata'?Can we fix the mistake?
- سارة Saraللأسف، لا يمكننا تغيير أي شيء.Lil-asaf, la yumkinuna taghyir ay shay.Unfortunately, we cannot change anything.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ما, هذا, هو, CC BY-SA 4.0.
